After the End
by A Martian Lullaby
Summary: Sunnydale reappears and the survivors of the Fang Gang try to save the world from an Apocalypse and try to save the Scoobies from the control of the Immortal! R&R. Flames accepted. PG13 just in case!
1. Beginning of the End

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns everything that is the Buffyverse! The only things that are mine are the characters Sophi and Nancy.  
  
Sophi stood at the convenience store counter, occasionally glancing over at her friend Nancy. She was working the graveyard shift and assumed there was a riot going on because of all the fire and screaming outside. She didn't care though. Nancy was her only friend in Sunnydale and she was alive so why should she care about some stupid riot? Besides, worse things had happened here. A year ago Sunnydale was a big sinkhole. But somehow, it had gotten rebuilt. Whenever she thought of that, it gave her an eerie feeling like something was being kept hidden from the residents of the small town.  
  
She moved here to "enhance her life experience" as her mother put it. Or in normal terms, stop mooching off of your family and get a job. The rest of her family was in New York. She looked through the glass sliding door as if she was expecting to see the gasoline pump outside explode any minute. Nancy walked over to the storage room and grabbed her purse. "Soph, let's face it. No ones gonna come during a riot to buy gas or a lottery ticket. Let's just go to the shelter to make sure were safe. Soph?" said Nancy tugging at Sophia's blue sleeve. Sophia was too busy looking at the blond girl that entered the store carrying an arsenal of weapons to listen to what Nancy was saying. "Shut up, Nan," murmured Sophi. She slowly pointed at the girl that was coming over to the counter.  
  
"Oh my god! Please don't kill meeee!" Screamed Nancy. The girl cracked a smile. "I'm not here to kill you. Just take this and go to the shelter, quick before this place gets attacked!" She said as she threw two swords at the girls. Sophi was still skeptical, "Who are you? And what the hell is going on!" she asked. "The names Buffy. And it's exactly that. Hell. Now g..." Before she could finish her sentence a large monster with horns came crashing through the northern wall of the store along with a few smaller monsters. Sophi screamed and flung her self at Nancy. Buffy took one of her many weapons and in a few swings killed all of the beasts. "Nasty little demons! Oh why couldn't it just be vampires! You just go poke, poke and bye vampy!" she said to herself while looking at the remains of the demon. It's not that it was hard to kill the demon it's just it wasn't very pleasant to look at after it was dead. "Demons? Vampires?" Nancy muttered while struggling to stand. Sophi was still hanging on her, crying. Her brown hair was smooshed against Nancy's uniform. "Listen, just go to the shelter before you get killed," Buffy told them. She ran out of the store, her ax over her shoulder, ready to fight.  
  
Nancy pushed Sophi off of her and grabbed her sword. "Sophi, get up and grab your sword!" Nancy said strictly. Sophi was compliant and took the battered, old sword Buffy had given her off the ground. They walked out to see a city with burning flames touching the dark evening sky. Buffy jumped out from the corner of the wrecked building. She decided that the risk of them going to the shelter alone was too great even if it was only a block away. Sophi immediately put her sword up but lowered it once she saw it was the blond girl. "Hey, why don't I walk you there? It's not very far away and I don't want to lose two people like you," Buffy told the two seemingly traumatized girls. "What do you mean people like us?" said Sophi. Buffy realized her mistake in wording and quickly came up with an excuse. "I mean innocent people. Your not like the warriors we lost while fighting." Buffy said, looking at Sophi to see if she bought it. "I guess..." Sophi said. "Ok! Hurry up, we need to get there before you get hurt!" said Buffy, starting to run in the direction of the shelter. She just hoped it wouldn't be too late. 


	2. Speculate the End

Disclaimer is in Chapter 1. Sorry for the mediocre start! I promise it'll get better!  
  
        Buffy walked with the two frightened young women. She Sophi by the sleeve because she was afraid she would break down any minute. Buffy looked from side to side a few times when she heard a noise. It was nothing but a street cat so she continued walking a brisk pace. Nancy held her sword, while cautiously looking over her shoulder once or twice every few minutes. It wasn't paranoia or anything remotely close to that. It was just that she felt safer doing that. Besides, a few minutes ago she was attacked by a spiky demon. Sophi trudged along; still recovering from the horrible demon she had seen. She was thinking about how she could die. She didn't even know where Buffy was taking them. What if it wasn't the shelter but her lair where she would kill them? These thoughts raced across her mind, but as she looked at Buffy's face, she quickly dismissed them as just the ramblings of a scared person.  
  
        Then Nancy just stopped. She looked over her shoulder and saw someone or something. Buffy looked at Nancy then yelled, "Get down!" Nancy and Sophi dropped to the ground like weights just as Buffy swung her axe, decapitating it. "What was that?" asked Nancy. Buffy looked at it and said," Looks like a Kaliff Demon. I've seen it in books while researching but I don't think I've ever killed one before." Nancy thought it was strange that Buffy had just shrugged the killing off like it was all in a days work. Sophi stood up and looked the dead monster lying on the ground. This was the strangest day she'd ever had. Demons, vampires, and hell pretty much summed it up in one word so far. Buffy looked at both of the girls. They were both looking at the dead demon and she couldn't blame them. "Let's just hurry up and go to the shelter before any more demons try to hurt us," Buffy told the girls. She started to walk to the shelter again with both girls following her.  
  
        It was pretty uneventful as they got to the shelter. Buffy staked a few vamps but other than that, everything was fine. As Buffy came in The Immortal rushed to hug her. "I thought you were hurt because you were gone so long!" he said. Buffy pushed him away. "Well, other than a few demons, I was fine. Don't worry yourself. I mean we didn't come all the way from Europe to get me killed, did we?" Buffy said. The two girls watched on, waiting on instructions on where to go. Buffy turned to the two girls. "Um, why don't you grab a bed? I'll go tell Willow you're here." She said. Sophi following Nancy to a bed and took the one right next to hers. They sat there for a while; just thinking until an overly happy Willow came to sit down. "Hiya! My names Willow. I hope you're comfy because you're gonna be here for a while!" Sophi looked at Nancy, who was looking at the peppy witch. This was gonna be a long day.  
  
        Angel sat down on one of the beds, still recovering from the strange thing that happened in the Hyperion Alley. They were all standing there, Spike, he, Illyria, and a wounded Gunn, ready for the fight of their lives. A mob of demons ran towards them and then surprisingly, past them. The remnants of the fang gang (excluding Gunn) ran after them for a few miles but in the end they couldn't keep up. Angel didn't know where they were headed. Surely this was the wrath of the Senior Partners raining down on them! So why hadn't they attacked them? A mob of giant creatures couldn't be that elusive but since he had no car and no resources anymore, he couldn't track them. Heck, he didn't even have a TV anymore! He got his crew back together when she arrived.  
  
        She was the one girl that he always loved, no matter what. It was Buffy. But something was wrong with her. She was acting too happy. And when she mentioned hell rising in Sunnydale, a question popped into his head. Wasn't Sunnydale a big hole in the ground? It was even more awkward when she saw Spike. She just looked at him a said something like, "Hey! You're alive! Hop in!" Angel reluctantly admitted to himself that Buffy had real feelings for Spike but what had just happened was beyond strange. Buffy, believe or not, was a real emotional person. And acting like Spike didn't die at all was unthinkable if what he heard about the Spike and Buffy couple was true.  
  
        All of this was too much for Angel to comprehend at the moment. The Immortal said he planed to get the Slayers together to fight this thing, but in the mean time, everyone should rest. How could Angel rest? It seemed that the Senior Partners were raining a full-fledged apocalypse not just in LA but in other places too. And where did that big ol' army of demons go? And with Gunn in a hospital in LA where he was in critical condition, Angel felt like the weight of the world was on him. Plus, Illyria was having some type of breakdown or mid life crisis. Angel slid into the bed and tried to sleep. _I'll get through this. Tomorrow is another day._ he thought. _If the world doesn't get destroyed that is. _


	3. Lies in the End

Disclaimer is in Chapter 1. Slow start but I'll get better and I'll actually put a plot in soon! Wow! Sorry for such small chapters. Review!  
  
Angel woke up and again sat there on the small cot thinking about so many confusing things. He knew something was wrong with the girl he had always loved. He just knew it! But without Fred or Wesley there to guide him, he was lost in a world of uncertainty. Spike walked over to him and sat on the cot. "Hey. Ya know, there's this thing that been buggin' me. How could Buffy just look at me, the man who is supposed to be dead, and wave it off? I mean come on man! I bet the Immortal put her under a spell! Ya that's it!" Spike told Angel. Spike really wanted it to be true, but he knew it might not be. "Maybe he did. Or maybe Buffy doesn't care about you dead or alive!" Angel said in frustration. Spike playfully punched Angel in the arm and got up. "Ya know, maybe your right. Or more likely maybe your not," Spike said as he walked slowly away.  
  
Sophi was half asleep when Willow finished her lecture on the end of the world. Nancy went to the restroom and left poor Sophi to listen to all the rest. All that Sophi got out of it was that she had some special thing in her blood and it was needed to open the door to something. Nancy apparently had it too and that's why they were drawn to each other and became friends. "So do you have any questions?" Willow asked Sophi and Nancy. Nancy had just came back and was extremely joyful Willow had finished her talk. They both shook their heads, not wanting her to start any speeches again.  
  
The Immortal went into a closed room he called his "office" with a picture Buffy. He said stroking the picture, "My dear, dear Buffy. If only you knew how much I loved you. That's why I let Wolfram and Hart do those things to you. So you could love me more. And so I could control..." The Immortal was cut off as Illyria entered the door. "I wish to sit but these scum, these human children jump on my space as if it was theirs! Spike doesn't let me kill them even though I wish to do so. He told me to complain to you." She said monotonously. The Immortal looked at her and said ,"Just shoo them off or get their mother! Don't you know anything?" He said slamming his hands on a desk. "I shall do so," she said and left. "Damn blue bitch. Almost caught me. Why am I even saying my plans out loud? Must be evil villain genetics or something... Buffy... You love me now..." He said smirking. His plan was working perfectly. With the Wolf, Ram, and the Hart at his side, how could it fail? 


	4. Love Maybe in the End

Disclaimer in Chapter 1. There will be really short chapters for the whole story but in exchange I'll update a lot! Read and Review!  
  
        Illyria shooed the annoying brats off her cot. She thought of Wesley as she sat down. I should have come sooner, she thought. Wait; was this grief she was feeling? No, it couldn't be! In all her many lives, grief was never an emotion she had. A tear slid down her face as she thought of Wesley. _How can this happen? People feared me. They were just muck under my feat. And yet I cry for one? I NEVER cry!_ The thoughts surged through her head like a speeding beast. Someone touched her shoulder. It was one of the little brats that hung around her cot. "Hey, uh, miss. My mom told me to tell you sorry about hanging around your cot," The small boy said as he looked at his shoes. He waited for a response and got a rather cruel one from the god-king. "Begone scum! I wish not to speak with you any longer!" She said temperamentally. She wasn't angry at the little boy, she was angry at what happened to Wes. The little boy hurried back to his mother as Illyria thought, _Am I capable of love?_  
  
        Angel went up to Spike. He may not have liked Spike but he trusted him. "Listen we need to talk," said Angel.  
  
"Listening," said Spike.  
  
"No I mean outside,"  
  
"Alright! I'm sure we'll be able to have a nice quiet talk with flames outside and demons running about!"  
  
"Come on," Angel said sternly.  
  
"I'm comin'."  
  
Angel and Spike walked outside into the alley behind the shelter. Spike leaned against the brick wall of the shelter. "So, what do you want? It's probably pretty bloody important to stop your daily brooding session."  
  
"Spike, for just a few minutes, could you just shut the hell up?"  
  
Spike shut up only because he knew this meant Angel had something really important to tell him.  
  
"Listen Spike, something's up with the Immortal. Have you talked to Willow, Xander, or Buffy? They sound strange, like they're under mind control. I think the Immortal is the one who did it. It's like one of those sitcom families where they're all happy all the time. We need to stop this now and I need your help to do it. Illyria seems to be having a break down because of Wes and Gunn is lying in a hospital bed right now fighting to survive, so their help is out of the question. So what do you, uh, say?" Angel said. Spike smiled and said, "I'm in."  
  
        Gunn was lying in an LA hospital bed. All his friends went to Sunnydale with Buffy and left him in LA to recuperate. He couldn't stand being in a hospital bed while all his friends were out saving the world. He turned the TV on. On almost every channel was breaking news about monsters destroying the earth. But not in LA. LA was monster free for some reason. No demons in the hospital killing patients and no fires or riots outside. Something weird was going on and he hoped that Angel would find out what soon. But what if he couldn't? After a day in the ER Gunn felt much better and his wounds were closing up. He could almost walk, too. So he decided that as soon as he felt better, he was going to Sunnydale to help Angel. 


	5. Spells in the End

Disclaimer is in the 1st chapter as always. Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate it! Remember to review after you are done reading!  
  
        The Immortal sunk close to Buffy and jabbed a kiss on her cheek. But something clicked. Buffy knew for a second that this wasn't right and punched him in the chin. He fell back and looked up, blood dripping from his mouth. "Buffy? What was that?" He asked. She stared mindlessly up at him, "Nothing. Oh my god! You're bleeding!" She said unaware that she caused it. "I'll be fine. You just go help those people in need and all that junk. I need to make a call." He told Buffy. She left without a word into the larger part of the shelter.  
  
The Immortal picked up a long stick and tapped it on the ground four times while saying, "The Wolf, Ram, and the Hart, make yourselves seen!" When it was done there was an orb with the image of a small girl sitting on a chair. "What has happened that has made you call us?" She asked. "It's Buffy. She hit me. You said she wouldn't do anything like that! You said she was completely under my power! He had a deal, dammit!" He screamed into the orb. "You must understand. The spell was not made for use on the slayer. It was made for use on demons. And as you know, she is stronger than a mere demon so from time to time you may loose control. This is normal and as she is under the spell longer, she will get weaker and weaker until her soul is crushed and she is completely yours. Now if you don't mind, I have an apocalypse to finish up. Thank you." The orb vanished. The Immortal looked out the small window in the door and saw Buffy walking around checking up on people. He thought, I hope it doesn't take too long.  
  
        Spike and Angel sat on two crates in the alley, devising a plan. "I say we bludgeon em and then slice his head." Suggested Spike. Angel looked at him as if saying, be serious. "Sod off! I don't see you thinkin' up anything!" Said Spike. "Well I got a plan right now!" He said as he stood up. Spike also stood up, "Yah, what?"  
  
"We take the Immortal, strip him down, tie him to a tree, take pictures, and hit it out of him!" Said Angel.  
  
"God man! You're a genius!" Said Spike.  
  
"Spike, I was being sarcastic," Said Angel.  
  
"Bloody hell! You think I didn't notice?" Said Spike, slightly ticked off.  
  
"Back to square one then," Said Angel, a little more broody than usual.  
  
"Phbt. Like we ever left," Retorted Spike.  
  
Illyria was very afraid. All these new changes she was going through. Emotional changes mostly but some other ones, too. Like whenever she saw children playing, she smiled. And she cried at night if she thought of Wes. And she couldn't stand to she all the people come in in such painful states. She never, in all her lives, experienced these things. She even started to say "Please" and "Thank you". She never did those things. How could she! She was above every other being. She was afraid to consult Spike or Angel on these things. They might call her weak and abandon her. There it was again! How could anyone abandon her? She abandoned them! Illyria walked back to her cot after going outside for a while to get a breath of fresh air. She lay down and tried to sleep. But then she thought of Wes and started crying. Then she thought, _I loved him so much..._  
  
Sophi didn't know what to do. All she did anymore at these few days at the shelter was eat weird food, use the can, and sleep (Although sometimes she talked to Nancy). And Willow and Buffy asked all these strange questions! They were about magic and all those occult things she never knew about until now. And Nancy, her only friend, got this tattoo on her palm and ever since has been acting strangely. She was acting all peppy and happy and barely ever admitted to boredom even if all she did was sit her makeshift bed, all day long! Something was up, and she needed to tell someone but she didn't know whom. She couldn't trust anyone. Buffy and Willow seemed nice at first but then they started acting weird like Nancy. Sophi didn't even want to get started on Xander. He made Hannibal Lecter look pleasant! I mean, where did he lose his eye? The only normal person was the Immortal. Except for his name, he was pretty nice. She sat back down on her cot and opened up her bottle of Coke. Maybe she should tell him of her suspicions? 


	6. Willow's Back in the End

Disclaimer as always is in chapter 1. Please review after you're done. And include suggestions if you can. Flames accepted just please don't just say, This is the crappiest fic on earth. I'll puke if I read anymore. Put why you'll puke : )  
  
        Willow woke up in a cold sweat. She looked around. Where am I, she thought? She certainly wasn't in Brazil with Kennedy. She looked around. Kennedy wasn't there. She saw many cots filled with people bundled in blankets. Something was seriously wrong here. She got out of her makeshift bed and looked for someone familiar. She walked through the aisles of the building, looking at the beds to find Buffy, Dawn, or Xander. As she looked she recognized someone. She stumbled closer to the cot and slowly pulled the blanket off of the persons face. It was Angel. She quickly started shaking him, hoping he would know what the heck was going on.  
  
        Angel woke up to someone shaking him. He turned over to see Willow. The expression on her face was of fear and uncertainty. "Will... wha... why..." Angel was still groggy from the sudden awakening. "Angel! Wake up! Please! I need help. I don't know where I am. Please Angel. Wake up." The witch whispered to the heavy-eyed vampire. "All right. Give... me a sec..." said Angel. He sat up in the bed and rubbed his head. "What do you need?" He asked, almost fully awake. "Angel, this might sound crazy, and it probably is, but where am I?" She asked.  
  
"You're at the shelter. What's wrong?"  
  
"It's weird. I woke up and... Angel something's wrong!"  
  
"Willow... Wait... how do I know you're not being controlled right now?"  
  
Willow knocked him over the head. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" She said  
  
"First, ow, second, so you're not being controlled, and third, ow."  
  
"What's all this about being controlled?"  
  
"Okay, let me start at the beginning. Apocalypse is now. Buffy, Xander and any other Scooby, is under the control of the Immortal, at least we think so. Spike, and me we're conspiring to do something about him. Oh, and Wolfram and Hart, evil law firm I used to control, is most likely involved somehow. Another thing, Fred and Wesley are dead. Illyria, a god-king took over Fred's body. Gunn's still in LA, in a hospital. Any questions?"  
  
"Spike's alive?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. Long story how. Funny at some parts. Spike was a ghost. Very funny." Said Angel smiling.  
  
"Angel, are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine... at least I think so."  
  
"Listen, I'm just going to pretend I'm still under this spell you're talking about. Maybe I can get some info. Hey Angel, do you know if Kennedy is under the spell?"  
  
"Um, Kennedy?"  
  
"Oh, you don't know her. I forgot... Um, have I been hanging around any girl besides Buffy?"  
  
"Well, no. Not that I was looking at you or following you."  
  
"Ok, well I'll find her by myself in the morning. By the way, thanks."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"I don't know. Just thanks."  
  
        It was morning. Angel woke up and remembered about Willow. He hoped it wasn't just a dream. He stretched his arms and walked to Spikes bed. He was still asleep. Angel thought he look so peaceful, so he decided to repeatedly kicked his bed. "Bloody monkeys. Bananas. Ugh... Go away... Leave me alone." He said, pulling the covers over his head. Angel kicked the bed again. "Poof, if you don't stop, I'll bleedin' skin you." Spike sat up and looked at Angel. "What do you want?"  
  
"Lets go outside."  
  
"Sure. Then we could talk while bursting into flames!"  
  
"Why do you always complain about going outside? Most of the smoke from the fire is blocking it out. Besides, apocalypse? It's never sunny while an apocalypse is happening, especially THE apocalypse."  
  
" I complain about going outside because maybe I don't like to! Besides it smells rancid out there!"  
  
"Spike..."   
  
"Alright peaches. But you go first. Just in case."  
  
        Spike and Angel tried to walk outside as casual as possible. They both sat down on crates when they got outside. It was very dark; it looked like midnight except it well it was obviously was morning. "Listen, Willow, she's not under the spell anymore. She's acting normal again." Said Angel as quietly as possible. "Red's back? Great!" Replied Spike. Spike knew this meant they had a better chance of beating the Immortal or whatever was controlling Buffy. She was the most powerful witch he knew and she did change that little slayer-every-generation thing. How could he not destroy the Immortal with her on his side? 


	7. Plans in the End

Disclaimer in chapter 1. Sorry for not updating!!! I was away on a family trip. Hope you like this chapter! Extra long for super duper satisfaction!  
  
        Willow walked up to Buffy. She didn't seem to find Kennedy anywhere. She wondered if she was okay. Willow tapped Buffy on the shoulder. "Hello Willow. How are you? Do you wanna see Immy?" Said Buffy in a strange superficial tone. "Immy?" asked Willow. Buffy slapped Willow's shoulder and giggled. "The Immortal silly! Let us go!" Buffy grabbed hold off Willow's red sleeve and pulled in the direction of the Immortal's makeshift office. Willow immediately pushed Buffy's hand off. Buffy turned around with a curious look on her face.  
  
"Will? Is there something wrong?"  
  
"Actually, can we go visit Xander. He might wanna see me because well uh... cola!" said Willow quickly. She wanted to check in on Xander to see if he might have also overcome the spell.  
  
"Cola? Ahh! I get it. You need some money to buy a drink. Well, let's go!"  
  
"Yeah...uh... Money."  
  
Buffy again grabbed hold of Willow's crimson sleeve but pulled her in the opposite direction of the Immortal's office. They were almost half to the other side of the shelter when Buffy stopped and turned around with a look of pain on her face. Buffy put her arms over her head and started crying. She slid down against the wall. "Please... make it stop... the Immortal... oh my GOD!" Buffy jumped up and slammed her fists in the wall. Willow grabbed Buffy after that. She was weak and could barely stand. "She helped... Li..." said Buffy weakly just before her head fell over in Willow's arm. "Buffy?" said Willow while shaking Buffy.  
  
Buffy's eyes flickered open. "Hey Will! Why am I here?" Willow stood and pulled Buffy up. "Oh yeah! We need to go see Xander. Come on!" Buffy pulled Willow along. Willow thought about what Buffy said. _Li... hmm... a name... a women that helped the Immortal..._ A name popped into her head. _Lilah?_ thought Willow.  
  
        Angel went inside of the shelter to get some blood for him and Spike. He walked to the back of the shelter and entered the large kitchen. He opened up the large freezer to get the pigs blood the cooks got from the meat they had gotten. Angel walked in and felt uneasy. What if the Immortal might have spiked his drink? He looked around the shelves and slid his hand along them to feel for a squishy bag. He finally pulled a bag from the shelf and raised it in a sort of triumph. He turned around and looked at the door. It was closed. Angel ran over and pushed and pulled at the door. He kicked at it but it wouldn't open. He looked through the small window in the door and saw a man with black hair walking away. He knew this wasn't the Immortal. That man walked differently. He didn't walk as easily as the Immortal. Angel was about to walk away from the door when he heard someone scream.  
  
He recognized the voice as Buffy's. He ran to the very back of the freezer looking for an air vent or something similar. He felt around when he saw some light coming from the direction of the door. Spike was standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face. "Hi Spike. I wasn't locked in or anything. It's just really quite and uh nice in here." Said Angel slowly and carefully as to not make a mistake. He grabbed the bag of blood and quickly walked out of the freezer, his cheeks considerably redder than when he came in.  
  
Illyria went to the kitchen to grab something to drink. She liked the thing they called Coke. It made her mouth all fizzy. She walked around one of the counters and saw Angel and Spike walking out. Angel was red. Illyria turned back around to look the myriad of small box full of soda on the floor. She bent down and grabbed a can of Coke. She opened it up and it splashed all over her. She looked down at the empty can in her hand and squeezed it until it was perfectly flat. Illyria threw the can in the trash and went to get cleaned up. She wished so badly that she was cleaning the blood of her mutilated enemies off of her but instead it was a human beverage.  
  
Illyria wiped all the Coke off and returned to her bed. She asked herself why she couldn't be cleaning off the blood of her mutilated enemies. What was keeping her here? The whims of that blond? The whims of Angel? What? She decided she had enough of waiting. She reached for the bloodied ax, still under her bed. She pulled it up and walked toward the door to leave, when the Immortal jumped in her way. "Excuse me, where are you going?" he asked. "I remember when you were just muck under my feet. When you would not be asking me these things. I am to leave to persecute and maim the creatures guilty of Wesley's death. I shall be back once I am done and I am stained with the blood of my lifeless enemies." Said Illyria in one breath. "And don't try to stop me." She slammed the Immortal across the shelter and left.  
  
The Immortal looked up after the former god-king threw him across the building. He wiped his face and blood appeared on his hand. He couldn't believe it. He was the Immortal! He couldn't bleed! His powers must have been depleted. 'The Senior Partners must have done this to strengthen the distraction,' he thought. He stood up and went to his office to have a little chat with them.  
  
He entered his office and grabbed the staff he had used the previous time he called upon them, but these time he did something different. He stomped the staff five times on the ground and chanted, "Heavenly gods, of the Wolf, Ram, and Hart, shed light to me, tell me, don't rip our two worlds apart." He repeated this four times when a glowing orb appeared in front of him. In it sat 5 old men in chairs with cloaks on and hoods over their heads so nothing could be seen but a shadow. "Speak lower-being." Said one. "Why have my powers been drained?" said the Immortal. "For the reason you thought they were. When will the gate be opened?"  
  
"We have gotten the two innocence's. One is under our control. The other is more resilient."  
  
"The distraction is getting destroyed. Finish the other and complete the gate."  
  
"When will I get my powers back?"  
  
"After the gate is opened."  
  
"I see. And Buffy gained control, again. Is there anything I could give her?"  
  
"She is a slayer. These things were made for mere demons and humans. Unless you permanently want to give up your powers, we cannot hold her any further. This session is over." Said one of the men. The orb disappeared in a radiant flash. The Immortal put the staff back by his desk. He weighed his two options against each other. ' Keep Buffy or lose immortality.' He thought. 


	8. She Cries in the End

Disclaimer in chapter 1 as always. I hope you liked the super duper long chapter! I'm really sorry I can't write bigger chapters. I have a really short attention span. Hope you like this one! Don't forget to review! This chapter is mostly Illyria at the start for all you fans! Then Angel, Spike and Willow get smart about the Immortal!  
  
        Illyria walked over her slain enemies. It wasn't just anger that over took her. It was grief for Wesley. She strode over to another demon, busy destroying a lamppost. With one quick slash of her axe, Illyria destroyed it. She looked around to see if there were anymore demons left in the area, and in a moment, pain swept over her and she blacked out.  
  
        She woke up in a place of brilliant light. A woman with soft brown hair in a long white dress approached her. She couldn't see her because of the blinding light behind her. "Ya'll thought my soul was destroyed. But it wasn't." The women said, her voice fading in the end. "Why did you take me away from him?" The women approached Illyria. She recognized her. It was Fred.  
  
Illyria stepped back as Fred approached closer. "Where am I? Why am I in this place?" she asked. Fred looked at her, with an intense stare. "You're in my prison. When you killed me, you didn't, well, kill me." Fred's voice let off a little giggle at the end. "You trapped me in oblivion. A place worse than hell. I escaped and ended up here. I don't know why _you_ are here, though." Fred walked closer to Illyria, only inches away from her. She slapped her. "How could you take me away?" Tears started to roll down Fred's cheeks. "I did not know I would have no purpose in this world. My army is destroyed. My existence is pointless. I...I am sorry." Said Illyria. The last words hardly made it off her tongue.  
  
"Sorry? You took me away from Wesley!" A river of tears was now on her face. "And you say sorry?" Illyria questioned if the gentle Fred could take the news that Wesley, like her, was dead. She decided to tell her for some strange reason. Fred needed to know. "Fred, Wesley is dead." She said drearily.  
  
"No..."  
  
Fred sat down on the cold ground. She started crying again but harder and this time, she periodically choked on her tears. "I grieve for him. I also..." Illyria barely caught herself. If she said she cries for him, the angry Fred would try to kill her. But it was too late. "You also what?" Illyria heard a tone Fred never used. It was one of pure hate. "You don't know what grief is! Have you cried yourself to sleep yet? Or have you spent every second of your meaningless life thinking how you possibly could have saved him? No you haven't, have you?" But Illyria had done those things. She bent her head down, trying to conceal a small, almost invisible stream of tears sliding down her face. "Are you crying? You bitch!"  
  
Fred stood up and lunged at Illyria, smacking her every way possible. "You don't cry!" She smacked her in the throat. "I'm only allowed to cry!" She hit her again. "I'm here because of you!" Illyria wasn't fighting back a bit. "And you cry..." Another thundering hit came from Fred's fists. "For the man I love!?!" Fred stopped, seeing Illyria had enough. She backed off of Illyria, and buried her face in her hands and started crying again. Illyria sat up, her face with bruises in various different spots. "I do cry." Said Illyria.  
  
Angel sat outside in the alley with Spike. Again. Somehow he always managed to find himself there. The smell of smoke filled the cloudy air. Angel could sit outside in the middle of the day because of this. Besides, who ever heard of a sunny, apocalyptic day? "Soooo..." said Spike breaking the awkward silence between the two. "Blue's fled, has she?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"Hey, I got an idea! We get a baseball bat, trap the Immortal in a closet and whack it out of him!"  
  
"Whack what out of him?"  
  
"I dunno. Just an idea."  
  
"Where's Willow, anyways?"  
  
"Haven't seen her all day. Must be doing some more undercover work."  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"Ok."  
  
Angel and Spike sat on their crates, occasionally sipping blood from their paper cups. Willow walked through the door; startling Angel, causing him to spill his blood on Spike. "Poof! Look, you got blood all over my duster!" Spike stood up, trying to brush the blood off with his hand. Willow stood at the door, sniggering at Spike. Angel just sat on his crate and sighed. "Hey guys, I got some info you might like. Buffy is still under a spell but she briefly overcame it, Xander is penniless, and Lilah." Angel didn't react to the first two but when the name Lilah was spoken, he jumped up. "Did you just say Lilah?"  
  
"Yup, Buffy said there was a women that helped. Her name started with Li."  
  
"Buffy woke up?" asked Spike, apparently not listening to the rest of the conversation.  
  
"She wasn't really asleep, Spike. She overcame the spell yesterday. You heard the screams, right?" said Willow. Spike and Angel nodded. "So, Lilah." Said Angel. "Wolfram and Hart have to have something to do with this."  
  
"No, Poof. They just sent an army of monsters for fun."  
  
"Well it's not liked they attacked!"  
  
"They came to Sunnydale didn't they? And now they're attacking here!"  
  
"For all you know, the monsters here could be from the Hell mouth."  
  
"I died to close that thing! They aren't coming from there!"  
  
"Are too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Are too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Are too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Are too!"  
  
"Stop it!" said Willow, coming between the two vamps. "He started it!" said Angel, pointing to Spike. "I don't wanna hear it!" said Willow. Angel and Spike shut their mouths and sat back down on their crates. "Now what's this thing with Wolfram and Hart? One at a time!"  
  
"Well, it's am evil law firm. I owned the LA branch. Lilah used to be a lawyer there. She still works for them but in hell. She probably helped the Immortal get the Senior Partners to help him in exchange for something." Said Angel.  
  
"And who are the Senior Partners?" asked Willow.  
  
"Other worldly blokes who are obsessed with Angel and his role in the apocalypse." Said Spike.  
  
"So maybe the Immortal got Buffy and the others under mind control using the Senior Partners. In exchange he puts the apocalypse in motion. What would you guys do without me?"  
  
"Die a horrible fiery death under the hand of the very whipped Immortal?" said Spike.  
  
"Most likely." Said Angel. 


	9. Tricking Little Girls in the End

Disclaimer in Chapter 1. Review when you're done!  
  
The Immortal loved Buffy. He gave the kind of love only a sick twisted immortal person could give someone. But he figured out that giving up immortality wouldn't be worth Buffy getting fully under his control quicker. He knew Angel and Spike were plotting behind his back and that they might figure out a plan good enough to destroy him. But the gate would be opened before that. Then everyone that opposed him would be destroyed.  
  
The Immortal woke up from his little daydream to see Sophi standing in front of him. "Um, hi." She said. The Immortal stood up and shook her hand, "Hello! How are you? Please sit down." He pointed to a crate. Sophi sat down and let out a sigh. "Ok, right to the point. Um, I'm sort of worried"  
  
"About what?" Asked the Immortal in his sincerest voice. He knew she suspected something about Nancy. He knew this was the moment he was waiting for.  
  
"Well it's about Nancy. She's been acting strange."  
  
_Score_, thought the Immortal.  
  
"What do you mean?" He said again, in the most sincere voice he could muster.  
  
"Well all she does all day is sit on that cot! And she acts happy all the time! It's like she's under mind control or something! I'm really worried and I thought you could help me."  
  
"It must be a spell from those two vampires, Angel and Spike. We need something to protect ourselves from it." The Immortal said. He went to his desk and pretended to rummage through it. He finally lifted up withered scroll with symbols on it. "What's that?" asked Sophi, pointing to the paper. "It's a protection scroll. Just press it on hold it on for a few moments. We'll be protected from those two nasty vampires when the ink sinks into our skin." Sophi grabbed the piece of paper and held it on to her palm. "Hope this works." She said. All of a sudden, everything around her was going dark as the ink flowed into her skin. "It's you..." She said before she blacked out.  
  
Fred looked up at Illyria. "How dare you admit that you cry for him!" she said. "You petty worm! You deserved to die if this was how possessive you were to him! You probably didn't even let anyone speak to him for fear of losing him!" said Illyria. She was sick and tired of Fred complaining about killing her. She was dead, and she should learn to deal with it.  
  
Fred was surprised at Illyria. But she didn't really care anymore. She had time to vent. She had gotten her revenge by beat the godliness out of Illyria. So she just wanted one thing now. Wesley. "Listen, I know I've been really hard about this but if you could just help me get out of here, I won't care anymore! I'll be with Wesley. That's all I want. Just get me out of here. I just want to leave this place. Please."  
  
Illyria looked to Fred, for the first time since they met seeing what a forgiving person she was. Illyria started to feel mass amounts of guilt over killing Fred. "I will try. I wish you luck in leaving this oblivion if I cannot help you." Fred, for the first time since Illyria came, smiled. "Thank you." She said, beaming.  
  
Willow brought back two packs of blood for Angel and Spike. Ever since Angel had gotten locked in the freezer (even though he denies it) Willow started insisting on getting the blood, lest it happen again. Since Willow got rid of the spell, Angel and Spike were making mounds of progress. "Hey, Angel. I got a pretty good idea." She said pouring the blood into paper cups. "Since the Immortal isn't quite immortal anymore, we probably should tie him up and interrogate him."  
  
"What do you mean he's not immortal?"  
  
"Weren't you paying any attention yesterday? Blood started coming out of his nose when Illyria threw him across the room. That means his immortality is fading. He's losing his power. We should be able to interrogate him now because of his weakness."  
  
"So we just tie em' up and ask questions? Should we do something about the slayer, incase she attacks? She's still under mind control." Said Spike. He would hate it if Buffy were to attack him and he would have to fight back.  
  
"We make a diversion. Spike..." said Angel.  
  
"Why do I always get stuck with these jobs?"  
  
"Because, I don't like you very much."  
  
"Alright then it's settled. Interrogation. We need rope. Lots of rope. Maybe chains." Said Willow before Spike could get a chance to react to Angel.  
  
"I'll look around. When's it going to take place? We need to..." asked Angel, being cut off by Spike.  
  
"Hey! What about me? What to I do with Buffy?" said Spike. He was the only one who wasn't clear on what to do.  
  
"Board games!" said Willow.  
  
"Red, not to be mean, but where in bloody hell did you get that idea?"  
  
"The mind control has made them pretty dumb. I bet you could keep her somewhere for hours if you play Monopoly or Life. Try it! I promise it'll work." She said.  
  
"What time?" asked Angel in an angry tone.  
  
"How about tonight, 8:00?" said Willow.  
  
"Agreed." Said Spike.  
  
Gunn was feeling much better. His wounds were closing up and he could walk and run again. He checked out of the hospital as soon as he could and was planning on going to Sunnydale. As he walked out of the hospital, he noticed something strange. A gust of wind was coming down on him out of nowhere. He looked up, and saw it. "Look's like someone stayed behind.' He said, looking at the immense dragon hovering above him. 


End file.
